A week in Barbados

Andrew and I were craving some winter sun at the beginning of this year. We needed to go away somewhere warm. So we looked at a map of the world and checked where it was ‘bikini’ warm in February/March and under 9 hours flight. The Caribbean became an obvious destination pretty quickly!

Unfortunately, our Plan A which I mentioned in my ‘Where to in 2018?’ post was waaaaayyyyy too expensive for us. We looked at alternatives and Barbados showed up on the various flight and hotel sites as pretty affordable. So we booked flights and accommodation without really knowing what to expect.

Well my friends, if there is one thing I have learned on that trip it is that Plan Bs can sometimes be the best decision you can make!

From London, the flight to Barbados is about 8 hours. We landed in the afternoon and headed to our first accommodation of the week, to the East Coast in Bathsheba. We grabbed dinner at a local restaurant and went to bed early to be rested for our first day.

Day 1 – Bathsheba

We purposely booked two accommodations for our trip, one on the East coast and one on the West one to have an opportunity to see both sides of Barbados. The East coast is very wild, with the Atlantic ocean and the mountains nearby, this part of the island feels remote and authentic away from the cruise boats and the tourist crowds. It is also the perfect spot if you are a surfer!

We stayed in Bathsheba the few nights and we spent our first day exploring the small village and the surrounding beaches.

After breakfast, we headed to the Soup Bowl, a beach famous for its waves and its floating-like rocks.

We spent a bit of time enjoying the views.

Unfortunately for us, the beach was covered with red algae when we stayed there. We originally had planned to explore more of the East Coast beaches on our first couple of days but the entire area was affected and access to the beaches was impossible. The locals explained to us that it is a recent issue and it forced us to slightly amend our plans once there. Bathsheba is still really worth visiting, so make sure you spare some time to explore the East Coast a bit!

After spending a bit of time at the Soup Bowl we grabbed some lunch at Dina’s bar, which is right by the beach. We then spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and relaxing before having dinner at the Round House where we were staying.

Day 2 – Mullins Beach

On our second day, we coordinated a car rental with the hotel as our original plans had been disrupted by tones of seaweed. We decided to head West where we were told there were no algae.

We drove from Bathsheba to Holetown, which took about 35 minutes, stopped at a shop to buy some packed lunches and headed north to Mullins beach.

Day 3 – Holetown

You will quickly notice reading this post that going to Barbados involve a lot of beach time. It is a difficult job, but someone has got to do it right?

So on our third day, again we headed West to Holetown. This time we stayed in the city area where the beach was just as fantastic as Mullins’.

Again most of our time was spent sunbathing, swimming and reading.

We concluded the day at the beach bar for a refreshing beer. There is something magical about that late afternoon drink in Barbados. Everybody is in a great mood, the sun starts to set and the music playing, locals and tourists hang out together for dinner in the most relaxed atmosphere.

Day 4 – Pebbles Beach

We headed to our second accommodation, the Radisson in Bridgetown, in the morning, which was right on Pebbles Beach, and we spent the rest of the day enjoying the pink sand and the turquoise water.

We grabbed lunch at Cuz’ Fish Stand. There is only one dish on the menu, cutters which are fish sandwiches. It is good, simple and very cheap so make sure to try it!

We ended our day with a local rums tasting at the hotel which was really educative and fun (mostly after the third one!).

Day 5 – Carlisle bay and a sunset cruise

We spent the morning of our fifth day again on Pebbles beach, exploring the stretch of white sand looking for seashells and skipping stones.

After another lunch at Cuz’ Fish Stand, we got ready for the main activity of the day a sunset cruise!

We booked our cruise with Cool Runnings and we couldn’t recommend it enough! A great experience which included snorkelling, dancing, a few rum punches and a tasty dinner. Not to mention the sunset view, obviously.

Day 6 – Beach time and Oistins Fish Fry

On our second to last day, we decided to have a lazy morning sipping on coffee and on enjoying the views from our balcony. There is nothing more exceptional than seeing some Arabian horses bathing in turquoise water at sunrise if you ask me (check out the video to see it!)!

The afternoon was spent at the beach.

In the evening we headed to THE place to be on a Friday night in Barbados – Oistins Fish Fry!

This small fishing town becomes the ultimate Friday night out destination with the liveliest food market you will ever visit! A great place to end a week on a paradisiac island!

Day 7 – Bridgetown

The great thing when flying back home to Europe is that you will still have an entire day to explore before boarding in the evening. So to end our trip to Barbados we decided to explore its capital – Bridgetown.

The city is very busy and full of energy, a far cry from the tranquillity of the beaches.

We walked along the shopping streets before heading to the harbour for a spot of lunch.

We visited the main sights such as the Independence Arch and the Lord Nelson Statue before heading back to our hotel via Brownes beach.

This was my first time in the Caribbean and I already cannot wait to return!

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62 thoughts on “A week in Barbados”

What a fantastic week and such a beautiful place. I love how everything is so colourfull in Barbados. And I’ve been to many island in Caribbean, but the beaches in Barbados look just stunning. Very nice pictures too 🙂

Wow!! These beautiful views of Barbados are to die for!! I am pretty sure you were happy to have decided on plan B otherwise you have missed out on this beauty if you went with Plan A. The city looks absolutely gorgeous with the different colors of the buildings.

I’ve never really been that drawn to the Carribean, but Barbados looks like an interesting place. Your photos are stunning. Looks like you discovered some beautiful spots and some interesting local culture. Thanks for sharing.

Wow I so love this post. Barbados seems like a perfect vacation destination. Would love to visit. Also love all the bright and colourful pictures. The signs look amazing. That leave nothing but your footprints reminds us of sustainable tourism. 🙂

I haven’t been to the Caribbean forever so your pix make me all dreamy. And yes, I agree that Plan B can be the perfect one: Last summer, I was planning on going to Japan but then it turned out to be a bit too stressful so I discovered Croatia, just around the corner, and it was such a pleasant surprise. However, I put Barbados on my list – the water, the colorful cottage….aaaah!

Seems like an amazing place to be. I was planning to do island hopping in the Carribean this year from Canada but the cost of flying from one island to another really left me chastised. So I am booked myself for Cuba but definitely keeping an eye for Barbados deals as it looks gorgeous. I might have to look up more on how feasible it is for solo travellers as well because these places tend to be more couple focussed!

Ah Barbados! How I would love to go there someday. Love that you Plan B worked out so well for you:) Love the idea of booking 2 places too. We actually do that quite often as I find some places are so different, even if they are in the same place. Love that sign “please lever nothing but your footprints”. Responsible travel is vital. The water is so blue and that beach….bliss!

I love the video. The Caribbean sunsets are special. I visited Barbados and the Soup Bowl years ago. That’s where I first tried the flying fish in a nearby restaurant. Oh my, the red algae has taken over. Still a lovely island!

Sounds like a lot of fun! We had quite a few days of biting cold and were just lamenting with my mum how nice it would be on a Caribbean Island, sipping some cocktails. Well, at least we did the cocktails bit, but we sipped them in front of the TV in the living room, binge watching the Amazing Race. 😀 Oh, and all the dancing makes me think of “Was the music good?”

Ahhhh my dream is to go to Barbados just never picked up the courage to travel all the miles from the other side of the globe. But your pictures and how you described it sold it for me. Thank you for sharing.

Yes Claire. At a certain time of year the Saragossa just floods in from off the US somewhere onto certain bajan coasts. Some sort of eco change seems to be going on. Not harmful but the dickens to deal with.

Love it! The photographs and the day wise itinerary makes it so easy & inviting to plan a trip to Barbados. Added on my bucket list and I agree when you say “Plan Bs can sometimes be the best decision you can make!” 🙂

Meet moi!

French living in London. Daydreamer and food lover. I like to capture nice moments with my camera. Pictures are taken at home, on trips, somewhere close or somewhere far. I share travel tips, my favourite London places, interior updates of my home and beauty tips!